Senior Director, Patents

Location: San Mateo, California, United States; hybrid work with two days per week in the San Mateo office. Full relocation assistance is available for qualified candidates.

Base pay range: $302,400–$453,600 USD per year, with potential eligibility for a bonus package.

Company

hirify.global is the gaming and entertainment brand of Sony Interactive Entertainment, delivering hardware, network services, and interactive entertainment experiences worldwide.

What you will do

• Manage prosecution of the global utility patent portfolio across product and technology areas, including invention intake, review, and strategic assessment.
• Develop patent strategy with technical and business teams and advise leadership on strategic patent-related issues.
• Lead patent preparation and prosecution with outside counsel for domestic and international applications.
• Manage and develop patent prosecution teams in San Mateo, London, and Tokyo.
• Grow the portfolio through patent workshops and invention-mining activities, while training business teams on protecting valuable inventions.
• Monitor videogame technology trends, improve prosecution and invention-intake processes, and manage the related global budget.

Requirements

• Juris Doctorate degree and admission to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
• Advanced degree in electrical engineering, computer science, or another field relevant to intellectual property practice in the videogame industry.
• At least 15 years of experience as a practicing attorney, primarily focused on patent prosecution.
• Demonstrated success building and maintaining a robust global patent portfolio, including portfolio creation, strategy, and counseling.
• Experience preparing and prosecuting domestic and international patent applications and conducting patentability, validity, and infringement assessments.
• Strong patent-law knowledge, executive judgment, communication skills, autonomy, and ability to work cross-functionally and internationally.

Culture & Benefits

• Hybrid work arrangement with regular office collaboration in San Mateo.
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Matching 401(k) plan and paid time off.
• Wellness program and employee discounts on Sony products.
• Inclusive and collaborative work environment with opportunities to partner across a global organization.

Hiring process

• Background checks are conducted at the offer stage and may include criminal background checks for some roles.